Card-box



(No Model.)

G. W. WEAVER.

GARD'BOX. No. 599,484. Patented Feb. 22, 1898.

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GEORGE W. VEAVER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

CRDMBOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,484, dated February 22, 1898. Application filed February 9, 1897. Serial No. 622,715. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom, t 11i/ay concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WEAVER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Rochester, county of Monroe,

and State of New Yorlhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card-Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is a top plan of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial central vertical section on the line :o of Figi, showing the parts in one position. Fig. 3 is alike section showing the part-s in another position. Fig. is an elevation of the latch or fastening for the sliding block. Fig. 5 is a detail. Figs. 6 to 13, inclusive, represent different forms of my device; and Fig. 14 shows a portion of a card in the process of engaging with the retaining devices.

Card-lists embodying a drawer, a series of cards, and fastening devices for retaining the cards in the drawer, while still allowing a limited `movement of the cards in order to permit each card to be examined, have been in wide use, principally for catalogues 0f books in libraries and lately for various business purposes*snch as the keeping of accounts, indexes,'and the compiling of recorded items-and have the advantage of being capable of indefinite expansion, contraction, or change by the insertion or removal of individual cards or leaves. The devices for accomplishing these purposes prior to the invention herein set forth have been of two classes. In one of them each card of the series has one or more perforations, through which a longitudinallysliding rod may be passed, which rod is fastened to the drawer or casing, whereby the cards may move to some extentV longitudinally on the rod, and the rod retains the cards in the casing. The other form comprises one-or more rods swingingabout a center, and a series of cards having perforations, in which the rods or bars may rcst,and having slots extending from the edge of t-he card to meet the perforation. In the use of the former class of devices the rod must be pulled out in order that a card may be removed or inserted. By the second class of devices the rod or rods forming the fastening device has fixed bearings in the drawer or casing, said bearings being the pivotal points around which the swinging movement of the rods occurs. In both forms of device just mentioned when a card is to be removed or inserted all the cards are unlocked and one or any number may be removed on account of the release of the latching devices. One disadvantage in the use of these systems is that if when the cards are unlocked the drawer, tray, or casing should be dropped or overturned all the cards may be spilled there from and entail considerable labor in order to replace them in their proper order, since each tray or drawer usually contains when filled from fifteen hundred to four thousand or five thousand cards.

In my present invention I have produced a device whereby a card may be removed from the series or may be inserted into the series at any portion of the tray without releasing or unfastening all of the cards in the series, and whereby, in case the tray should be overturned, all the cards will not drop out. I also provide a better bearing for cards of the variet-y having a perforation and the slot eX- tending from the edge to meet the perforation, whereby the free ends on each side of the slot are less apt to be torn or damaged than with the devices heretofore in use, and I also provide an apparatus wherebyT the slot running from the edge of the card to the perforation in it may be very narrow and thus save space upon the card. I also provide a device which has a fixed position in the drawer and whose supporting power is or may be derived from a bar rigidly and permanently fixed to the tray or casing.

Other objects of my invention will be described or may be inferred from the detail description herein contained.

In the drawings, A is a casing adapted to hold in place a series of cards which are usually of uniform size. In the form shown the casing A is a box or drawer open on the top. Of course a series of these drawers may be placed in a suit-able containing-frame to form a case in the customary way; but I do not limit my invention to the form of casing shown, the only limitation in this respect being that it must be such as will, in combina- IOO tion with retaining mechanisms constructed l according to the spirit of my invention, hold the cards in such position with relation to such retaining mechanisms that the same are operative for the purpose of holding the cards so as to be capable of easy handling for the purposes usually accomplished in a card-list.

The casing A usually has an inclined block a at the front end, as shown in the drawings.

The cards B, a portion of one of which is shown in Fig. 14, are each provided with aperforation b of a suitable size and which may be circular, oval, or of any other suitable contour adapted to engage with or contain the retaining devices, as hereinafter described, and extending from the lower edge of the card to meet the perforation b is a slot h. This slot is usually straight and is made on the shortest line possible, in order to sacrifice as little as possible of the surface of the card. The perforations l) and slots b are usually situated in a line at right angles to the lower edge of the card and at the middle thereof; but this is not essential, as an eccentricallyplaced perforation and slot are obviously equally operative, and lin cases where large lcards or leaves may be used they may each be provided with more than one perforation and slot.

Inside the tray, in a position corresponding to the line of the perforations b in the series of cards, is a retaining device, which when in the retaining position is too large to pass through the slots b of the cards and which rests in the perforations b. In the form'shown this retaining device is a coiled wire C, having one end attached to the rear end c of the box, as shown in Fig. l, wherein said end is shown as fastened to a plate or baro outside the back end of the drawer A. Of course the end may be fastened to the drawer in any other suitable manner, as will be obvious to any mechanic. The other end c2 of the spring C is fastened to the front end of the drawer, so that the spring extends from the middle line of the drawer parallel to the bottom thereof. In the form of device shown this fastening to the front end of the drawer is a movable one. The end c2 of the spring is fastened to a rod D, which extends through the block a and through the front of the drawer. The spring C is shorter than the drawer, and the rod D is longitudinally movable,whereby the spring C may be shortened or lengthened- 't'. e., compressed or extended. The spring by this shortening or lengthening is adapted to produce an expansion or contraction both longitudinally and diametrically, and the same result would occur if the elastic mat-erial of which the spring is made should be india-rubber in the form of a rod. It is obvious that if this rod were stretched longitudinally to a sufficient extent its diameter would be sufficiently decreased to pass through a slot b in a card, and on permitting the rod to contract again an expansion would occur and would allow the rod to enlarge until its diameter is greater than the size of the slot;

but in the form shown the coiled-wire spring C has when contracted a diameter larger than that of the slot, so that when it rests in a perforation in the card the card cannot be detached therefrom without being torn. When the coiledswire spring is stretched, the coils separate and the ears b2 b2 on either side of the slot of the card can passbetween coils of the wire and can pass the coils, the wire itself slipping through the slot b", as shown in Fig. 14:. When the spring is again contracted, so that the coils touch each other, it forms substantially a tube or rod (corrugated on the surface) and the cards are positively held or locked into the drawer.

The bar D, to which the front end of the spring' is attached, has a series of perforations d therethrough which are adapted to engage upon a lug d upon a plate D', fastened to the front end of the drawer. the rod is pushed in, one of the perforations CZ is held upon the lug d' and the parts take the position shown in Fig. 2, the coiled spring O being thus compressed and having its coils in contact. When the bar D is pulled out, stretching the spring and separating its coils, another of the perforations 'el may be engaged with the lug d and the spring may be held in its expanded position. The bar D is preferably bent at its outer end, so that its extremity d0, as shown in Fig. 2, may make contact with the outside of the front end of the box in order to limit the retraction of the bar D into the drawer.

It is found in practice that for short drawers containing comparatively few cards a coiled spring such as above described is sufficient to hold the cards in the drawer, as the flexibility and stretch of the spring need not be overtaxed in case the cards are overturned. It is also found in practice that even when the coils of the spring are not exactly contiguous the drawer may be overturned without re leasing many of the cards. A few may drop out, but the remainder wedge themselves between the coils of the spring and are retained in the drawer. It is-found, however, that in most instances the pressure of the cards against each other is sufficient to lock all the cards in the tray and prevent any from falling out.

In order to retain the cards in convenient position for handling, a sliding block E is employed, which has a perforation suitable to contain the spring C and is adapted to move longitudinally thereon. This block has a face at an angle with the bottom of the drawer, so that the cards held in the drawer may be tilted backward and forward for convenience of handling. Upon the back of this blockis asliding catch E, the same being a fiat bar provided with a handle e at the upper end and a vertical slot e2, which rests on pins or screws e3, fastened in the block E. The slot is long enough to permit a vertical movement of the bar E upon the block E. The lower end of the bar E has a hook c4, open on one IOO IIO

side, but extending around underneath the perforation e5 in the block. Then the bar E is pushed downward to the position shown in full lines in Fig. l, the block is free to slide upon the spring; but when the bar E is pulled upward in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 the hook elL enters between the coils. of the sp-ring C and the block cannot move longitudinally upon the spring.

In cases where the cards in the drawer are to be much handled a guard is provided and situated above the spring C, which prevents contact of the cards against the upper surface of the spring, and if the cards properly fit in the tray contact is prevented with the sides' of the spring, so that notwithstanding the fact that the surface of the spring is corrugated the cards will slide freely in the drawer. In the figures the guard consists of a bar or wire F, fastened to the end pieces of the drawer, so as to be a short distance above the highest point of the spring C. If a card is tilted, the edge of the highest portion of the perforation B rests against the bar F and not against the spring C. The. position of this bar F is clearly shown in Figs. 9, 10, 12, 13, and 14. The bar F is also to some extent a support for the spring C, because if the drawer is overturned the cards can strain the spring C only in a direction at right angles to the bottom of the drawer, because the sides of the drawer guide and sustain the cards, and when a strain is brought upon the spring in this manner the spring presses against the guard F and cannot stretch or bend, because its movement is limited by the bar.

In many cases where large numbers of cards are used in a single drawer it is desirable to provide a further support in the interior of the coil C. This may be a single wire G, which is fastened tothe ends of the tray. In Figs. 2 and 3 this rod G is shown as having an end gturned up and fastened or clamped by the angle-block A against the front of the drawer. The wire G is therefore incapable of longitudinal movement, and its rear end may rest simply in a socket in the rear end of the drawer. A bar of this character is shown in Figs. 2', 3, 7, 9, and 14. The same result may be accomplished by having a narrow bar G of sui'iicient width within the coil C and attached to the ends of the trays, so that it will prevent vertical movement of the coil, but yet permit longitudinal movement of parts thereof, and such a device is shown in Fig. 8.

The coiled spring, with or without the internal or external su pportiug-bar, is perfectly operative for the insertion and removal of cards and to retain them without providing for the stretching and contraction of the spring. IVhen thus used, each end of the spring is fastened to the dra-wer, the spring being slightly and permanently stretched or so coiled as to separate the coils slightly. Single cards having the perforation b and the slot b/ may obviously be inserted and removed,

and it is found that in case the tray is overturned cards will not fall out, because, it seems, the friction of any card against the two adjacent cards retains it in place, while the ears b2 of adjacent cards rest on portions of the coils of the spring, and all are thus held in the drawer. It will be seen by Fig. 14. that the cards can pass the spring only when the slot t can straddle the highest or lowest portion of a coil and that the ears b2 are in position to engage every other part of a coil. Hence the whole series of cards are retained 'in the drawer, thoughv the coils of the spring are not in contact. The sliding block E should be set to hold the series of cards quite compactly between it and the end of the drawer, or the drawer should be properly filled with cards. The cards, however, should always be capable of being tilted forward and backward to permit examination.

It is not necessary that the coil should be circular, and therefore I show oval coils as an example of another form in Figs. 11, 12, and 13. In Fig. 12 each of these oval coils has an additional inward curvature, in which a rod F rests, which acts both for the supporting purpose above mentioned and asa guide for the movements of the coil, so that such movements shall not be in transverse or upward directions, but shall be only such as to permit longitudinal contraction and eX- pansion of the coil. In Fig. 3 is shown acoil having a second series of curvatures on the under side, and asecond rod F rests in these curvatures for an additional support and guide. These inward curvatures and the rods F or F/ may obviously be applied to coils of other forms, circular or otherwise.

It is obvious that the coils of the spring C are hollow and also constitute parts that are separable, and separable longitudinally to permit the cards to pass the spring to be retained thereby or to be released therefrom.

I have shown several forms of device embodying my invention in order to indicate that the broad novelty thereof shall not be limited to the forms shown and in order that my claims shall be construed as broadly as possible in View of the actual state of the art.

lVhat I claim is- 1. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edge of the cards, and a lon` gitudinally expanding and contracting mechanism attached to said casing adapted to enter said perforations through said slots for retaining the cards in the casing.

2. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and a mechanism attached to said casing having movable portions capable of separating and approaching longitudinally to permit insertion and removal of the cards and to retain the same in the casing.

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3. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and a mechanism attached at its ends to said casing having movable portions capable of separating and approaching longitudinally to permit insertion and removal of the cards and to retain the same in the casing.

4. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of Said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and a mechanism attached at its ends to said casing and having portions movable longitudinally only to permit insertion and removal of the cards and to retain the same in the casing.

5. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of saidperforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and a coiled spring attached at its ends to said casing and having coils larger in diameter than the width of any slot and smaller in diameter than any perforation.

6. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and a coiled springattached at its ends to said casing and having coils larger in diameter than the width of any slot and smaller in diameter than any perforation, and a supporting-bar arranged parallel to the axis of the coiled spring and contiguous to said spring.

7. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of saidperforations extending therefrom to the edges ofthe cards, and a coiled spring attached at its ends to said casing and having coils larger in diameter than the width of any slot and smaller in diameter than any perforation, and a supporting-bar arranged parallel to the axis of the coiled spring and contiguous to said spring and above the same.

8. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and a coiled spring attached at its ends to said casing and having coils larger in diameter than the width of any slot and smaller in diameter than any perforation, and a supporting-bar arranged parallel to the' axis of the coiled spring contiguous to said spring and outside the same.

9. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and a coiled spring attached at its ends to said casing and having coils larger in diameter than the width of any slot and smaller in diameter than any perforation, and a supportingbar arranged longitudinally within said coiled Spring.

10. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and a coiled spring attached at its ends to said casing and having coils larger in diameter than .thewidth of any slot and smaller in diameter than any perforation, and a supportingbar arranged longitudinally within said coiled spring.

11. The combination of a casing7 a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and a coiled spring adapted to stretch longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing.v

12. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, a coiled spring adapted to stretch longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing, and means for holding the spring in the contracted or in the expanded position.

13. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, a coiled spring adapted to stretch longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing, and a supporting-bar arranged parallel to the axis of the coiled spring.

14:. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots-narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, a coiled spring adapted to stretch longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing, a supporting-bar arranged parallel to the axis of the coil, and a supporting-bar outside of said coil and parallel to the axis thereof.

15. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, a coiled spring adapted to stretch longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing, a supportingbar outside of said coil and parallel to the axis thereof, and a supportingebar arranged longitudinally within the coil.

16. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom'to the edges of the cards, a coiled spring adapted to .stretch longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing7 and supporting-bars for said coil arranged parallel to the axis thereof one within and one without said coil.

17. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower ICO IIO

than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and an expanding and contracting retainer adapted to stretch longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing.

18. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, an expanding and contracting retainer adapted to stretch longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing, and a supporting-bar arranged parallel to the retainer.

19. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, an expanding and contracting retainer adapted to stretch longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing, and one or more supportingbars arranged parallel to the longitudinal line of the retainer.

20. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, a retaining mechanism consistin g of parts adapted to separate longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing, a supporting-bar extending longitudinally through said retaining mechanism.

2l. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending `therefrom to the edges of the cards, a retaining mechanism consisting of parts adapted to separate longitudinally to permit insertion of the cards and to contract to retain the same in the casing, a supporting bar extending longitudinally through said retaining mechanism, and a supporting-bar outside of said retaining mechanism and parallel thereto.

22. The combination of a casing, a series of cards having perforations and slots narrower than the width of said perforations extending therefrom to the edges of the cards, and a coiled spring attached at its ends to said casing and having coils larger in diameter than the width of any slot and smaller in diameter than any perforation, and a supportingbar arranged parallel to the axis of the coiled spring contiguous to said spring and outside the same, and a supporting-bar arranged longitudinally within said spring.

In a card-list, a retaining mechanism having longitudinally-separable parts, and a sliding block having a perforation in which said retaining mechanism rests, whereby the block is movable along said retaining mechanism, and a movable bar attached to said sliding block and having an end adaptedvhen moved in one direction, to enter between separable parts of said retaining mechanism.

24. In a card-list, a retaining mechanism having longitudinally-separable parts, and a sliding block having a perforation in which said retaining mechanism rests, whereby the block is movable along said retaining mechanism, and a movable bar attached to said slidin g block and having a hooked end adapted, when moved in one direction, to enter between separable parts of said retaining mechanism.

'25. The combination of a coiled retainingspring, a sliding block E having a perforation e5 in which said retaining mechanism rests, whereby the block is movable along said retaining mechanism, and a vertically-sliding bar E having the hooked end e4 leaving an opening on one side of the bar, and adapted when raised, to engage between coils of the spring and to hold the block with reference to the spring and when depressed, to disengage from the spring and to permit the block to be moved along the same.

GEORGE XV. VEAVER.

llfitnesses:

E. H. MARsnLLUs, H. W. HALL. 

